The twenty-two original works—produced specifically for this volume—will range from a brand new Orson Scott Card tale (his first “Alvin Maker” story in a decade), to an original adventure by Fred Van Lente (creator of Cowboys & Aliens). It will also include stories such as Elizabeth Bear’s story of a steampunk bordello, and new writer Rajan Khanna’s exploration of sorcery found in a magical deck of playing cards.

“The weird western is the forefather of steampunk, with a history that includes Stephen King’s Dark Tower and Card’s Alvin Maker,” editor John Joseph Adams explains. “But where steampunk is Victorian, weird westerns are darker, grittier, so the protagonist might be gunned down in a duel, killed by a vampire, or confronted by aliens on the streets of a dusty frontier town.”

The phrase “dead man’s hand’ refers to the poker hand held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot and killed by the coward Jack McCall. “What the hand actually was seems to be open to some debate,” Adams continues. “I suppose the only way we could ever know for sure would be to reanimate his corpse or to travel back in time … both of which are the stuff of the “weird western” tale—stories of the Old West infused with elements of the fantastic.”

Courtesy of the publisher 40K, SF Signal has 3 eBook copies of Kaaron Warren's horror story The Grinding House to give away to 3 lucky SF Signal readers! Here's the description:A horror story set in a futuristic society where people face an epidemic that's not only infecting its food supply, but every living being in it, too. And no matter Continue Reading →

SF Author and Physics professor Gregory Benford has entered the world of blogging with Benford & Rose which he co-authors with Ecology and Evolutionary Biology professor Michael R. Rose. The first post is What Does the Rise of Fantasy Mean? [via Locus Online] Rick Kleffel interviews John Scalzi, author of Old Man's War and the upcoming sequel The Ghost Brigades. Continue Reading →

Welcome back to the Weekend Playlist! This week, we're going to take a look at something fairly specific: songs inspired by William Gibson's various works. While compiling my master list, I was surprised at the number of artists who have been specifically inspired by him. In retrospect, it's an easy thing to see: Gibson's vision is far reaching, and his Continue Reading →